The Boys season 4 finale: Biggest twists and most important questions ahead of season 5

*WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 8.*

Amazon Prime’s The Boys wowed fans with the release of its season 4 finale today - and it also left them with plenty of questions.

The Boys season 4, episode 8 featured plenty of twists and turns, including some major character deaths.

Fans have been racing to Twitter, Reddit and all corners of the internet to talk about the absolutely action-packed final episode, which definitely packed a substantial punch.

Need a recap on everything that happened? Express.co.uk breaks down all the major twists and questions outstanding question marks from episode 8.

Victoria Neuman meets a gruesome end 

One person this episode really isn’t kind to is Victoria Neuman, played by Claudia Doumit.

Things go from bad to worse for the divisive character when Homelander (Antony Starr) reveals the would-be-Vice-President is actually a Supe.

In a desperate attempt to protect herself and her daughter Zoe (Olivia Morandin), she contacts former colleague Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) in the hope that they can strike a deal to take down Vought and then escape to safety.

While Hughie and the rest of The Boys agree to this plan, things quickly spiral out of control when a parasite-driven Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) arrives and gives in to his worst instincts.

In the horrific scene, we see a now-suped-up Butcher’s chest burst open to reveal tentacles, which reach out and tear Neuman apart.

The big question: Is Victoria Neuman really dead? Some fans think the popular character could be alive and that she sent a shape-shifter in her place.

Ashley takes drastic measures 

When Homelander asks terrified Vought CEO Ashley (Colby Minifie) to give him a list of the names of everyone in the company that has dirt on him, she does do obligingly.

However, when she overhears The Seven’s discussion about adding her name to the list, Ashley makes a desperate attempt to save herself.

It is then revealed that she has stolen some vials of compound V from Homelander’s apartment, and she goes on to inject herself with the drug.

The big question: What will Ashley’s powers be? While we see Ashley writhing in agony when she shoots herself up with V, we are yet to know what happens to her.

Ryan turns to the dark side 

When Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) is reunited with Butcher in his hospital bed, they are also joined by former Deputy Director of the CIA Grace Mallory (Laila Robins).

Grace tells Ryan the truth about his father Homelander: that he is a ruthless killer and that Ryan is the only person strong enough to kill him.

Disbelieving what he’s been told, Ryan defies Mallory and Butcher and tells them he doesn’t want to be a weapon to kill his own father.

When Ryan tries to leave, Mallory threatens him and attempts to stop him, so he throws her against a wall and storms out.

When Butcher inspects Mallory’s body, he realises Ryan has killed her and loses any remaining hope that there is an alternative option to unleashing a Supe-killing virus upon the world.

The big questions: Did Ryan mean to kill Grace Mallory? And what will happen to him next? Between his father’s rage-fuelled outbursts at him and Butcher’s steep demands, it’s unclear who Ryan will turn to in season 5.

Sister Sage’s grand plan is revealed - and it’s not good news for The Boys 

Towards the end of the finale, it seems as though the threat to democracy has ended following Neuman’s death.

However, super-genius Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) reveals to Homelander that every that has happened was a part of her plan all along, as she gets would-be president Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) arrested for conspiring to kill Neuman.

A new political puppet is then installed in the White House, declaring Martial law and effectively placing Homelander in charge.

This spells bad news for The Boys, as the gang are subsequently all arrested as they try to flee the country.

The big question: Who is left in the fight against Homelander? We know that Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Butcher and A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) all made it out. Could Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) come back to fight another day?

Kimiko and Frenchie get us all choked up 

After years of waiting, fans finally got to see Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) confirm their romantic feelings towards each other, with the pair sharing a passionate kiss.

However, the couple later leave fans in tears when they are prevented from escaping together by Gen V Supes Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips) and Sam Riordan (Asa Germann).

Tragically, the first word we ever hear from Kimiko is “no” as they drag an unresponding Frenchie into a van.

The big question: Will we hear Kimiko talk a lot more next season? Now that Kimiko has finally spoken her first word since childhood, she may have a lot more dialogue in season 5.

Soldier Boy makes a dramatic return 

In a special end-credits scene, Homelander is taken to what appears to be an underground storage facility.

There, it is revealed that the frozen body of the original lead Supe Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is still on US soil.

The big question: Who will Soldier Boy side with in the coming war? The powerful Supe appears to have disdain for his son, Homelander, but he presumably won’t be too thrilled with a Supe-killing virus either.

Watch all episodes from season 4 of The Boys exclusively on Amazon Prime Video now.